Man charged in killing of West Virginia guard member pleads not guilty to new charges

by Ariana Figueroa, West Virginia Watch
June 16, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice Tuesday issued a new indictment against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of killing one West Virginia National Guard member and wounding another in an attack in the nation’s capital, including six new charges that qualify for the death penalty.  

Lakanwal, an Afghan national, pleaded not guilty to 17 counts.

He appeared before federal Judge Amit P. Mehta, whom former President Barack Obama appointed in 2014, for a status hearing in the District Court for the District of Columbia. 

Department of Justice attorneys said the Trump administration is pursuing the death penalty, but could not give Mehta a timeline on the proceedings. 

The two guard members were attacked the day before Thanksgiving while on duty in a downtown Washington neighborhood blocks from the White House. 

U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died as a result of her injuries, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 25, was severely injured but survived. The guard members were in the district as part of the president’s crackdown on crime, despite a continued decrease in violent crime.

The new indictment will replace the nine charges initially filed in December, to which Lakanwal also pleaded not guilty. 

Lakanwal used an interpreter during Tuesday’s status hearing and was flanked by two members of the U.S. Marshals Service. He used a wheelchair and appeared gaunt, compared to his previous appearance in court in February.

The next hearing is at 9 a.m. Eastern on Sept. 16.

Lakanwal’s charges include:

• Count 1, of Beckstrom’s murder while she was assisting Wolfe.
• Count 2, of the attempted murder of Wolfe.
• Count 3, of the attempted murder of a person assisting an officer and employee of the United States, who is referred to as R.R. in court documents.
• Count 4, of the attempted murder of a person assisting an officer and employee of the United States, who is referred to as E.S. in court documents.
• Count 5, of transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony.
• Count 6, of using a firearm during a crime of violence and causing the death of a person with a firearm.
• Counts 7, 8 and 9, of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. 
• Count 10, of first-degree murder while armed.
• Count 11, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
• Count 12, of assault with the attempt to kill while armed of Wolfe.
• Count 13, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
• Count 14, of assault with the intent to kill R.R. 
• Count 15, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
• Count 16, of assault with the intent to kill E.S.
• Count 17, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Asylum granted

Lakanwal was granted asylum last year after he came to the United States through a special humanitarian program for Afghanistan allies who served along with American forces. The allies fled the country after the Taliban took it over following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal in 2021. 

November’s shooting also spurred President Donald Trump’s administration to direct U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to halt processing legal immigration paperwork for nationals from Afghanistan, along with a dozen other countries. 

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Rhode Island struck down several Trump administration policies that ended processing for asylum seekers following the shooting in Washington. 

Last week, the Trump administration submitted a court document describing steps the government was taking to comply with resuming the processing of immigration applications. 

West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.